Introduction
The humpback llama (lama curvotergum) is the descendant of the llama in around thirty million years from now. Its latin name, lama curvotergum porropenis can be broken into two different parts, lama and curvotergum. While, lama is simply the genus name, curvo means curved and tergum means back. Put together, curvotergum means "curved back" as the humpback llama has grown a hump overtime to store water.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Lama
Species: Curvotergum
Diagram
Habitat
The majority of the humpback llamas, much like its ancestor, the llama, still inhabit the Andes Mountain Range. However, the Andes Mountain Range ten million years from now is very different than it is today. Nowadays, the Andes Mountain Range is growing by an astoinishing 12-18mm each year due to the two tectonic plates forming it (especially the parts in Peru) slowly grinding into each other. By 10 002 010, the Andes Mountain Range is expected to grow thrice as tall as it is now. This means that near the top of the mountain, the weather is going to be very low- especially in the Winter! This is because the higher something is, the closer to the sky it is and the sky's temperature is measured in single number digits or can even be below zero depending on how far you go upwards.
There is not going to be as much vegetation up at the top of the mountain like there is now.This is why it is predicted that the humpback llama's population will see a slight decrease when compared to the llama's. However, it also means that there will be less predators- seeing neither the bears nor the coyotes can climb that high because they cannot simply cannot adapt to the low density of oxygen so far up.
The humpback llamas living on the bottom of the Andes Mountain Range is predicted that they will eventually join the ones living uphill because the temperature on ground level will increase significantly and because the predators, such as the coyotes and bears will have transformed into even stronger enemies.
So what about the llamas living in deserts, such as the Atacama Desert, already currently one of the driest places on earth? While the humpback llamas can still survive in modern times, partly because there is an oasis located near the local village of San Pedro ee Atacama, that water source would have dried up in ten millions time, when the world's average temperature is expected to raise by more than fifteen degrees. Instead, they would go to Chilean Coast Range, a set of mountains which run parallel to the Andes Mountain Range.
Structural Adaptation
1. Longer tail
The humpback llama has a tail which is approximately one metre in length, covered in short hairs and resemble one of those grown by leopards, except thicker. It is the same colour as the rest of the humpback llama's body is and there is no hair on the end of the tail like there is on a llama's tail.The humpback llama will use its tail for balancing. For example, when a humpback llama twists its neck to look to the right, the tail will automatically swing to the left. This counter motion helps the humpback llama stay in one position. Likewise, if the humpback llama is sprinting away from an enemy and decides to quickly turn a corner, the tail will shift the centre of gravity and work as a counter-weight, stopping the humpback llama from falling over.
The environmental pressure that has caused this change in a humpback llama's body is the environment it lives in. Since humpback llamas still visit the mountains from time to time and all humpback llamas have a chance at getting chased by its predators, everyone of them needs an excellent sense of balance- or else they would, quite literally, fall to their deaths or get injured then get pounced on by their enemies.
2. Hump
The humpback llama, true to its name, has a single hump growing from its back. The hump measures around fifty centimetres starting from the body and has a circumfrance of around one and a half metres. Contrary to popular belief, humps are not, in fact, filled with water but with body fat. The hump that grows on the humpback llama's back is extremely similar to one of those that the camels have except a bit smallar, as the humpback llama's body on average is much shorter than a normal camel. Humps are needed when the animal is starving, the fat inside being broken down and used, working as sort of a back-up or emergency food kit for the humpback llama while it tries its best to find fresh things that is consumable. The hump will not make the humpback llama balance any worse, as generations of camels have had this hump for thousands of years and can walk on rocky terrain.
A environmental pressure which forced wild humpback llamas to grow humps is the fact that vegetation on the Andes and other mountain ranges in which the humpback llamas soley depend on becomes very scarce due to droughts once every few months. As the temperature rises, due to global warming, scientists predict that more and more droughts will happen which will also, last a longer period of time. In order to survive, the humpback llama eventually learnt to store up on its food while it still has the chance.
Behavioural Adaptations
1. Faster mating speed
The humpback llama only mates for a maximum of five minutes each session and they often copulate for four to five times a day, rather unlike how llamas mate once but for a time period lasting from twenty to fourty-five minutes. Copulating this many times a day means that the chance of the female humpback llama, known as the kush, getting pregnant is just as large. However, it also means that they are less vulnerable to attacks as they do it in such short periods. Also, the kush does not lie down on her back like llamas do, instead, it simply sits down on its legs and lifts its rear up. This way, if predators do come, the kush could run away in time. The humpback llama also mates within the herd territory, as leaving it like the llama did when they want to mate is unwise as the other llamas would not be able to look out for them.
The environmental pressure is obvious. The level of alertness of an animal's surrounding when they are mating is low, therefore it is best if they mate in short periods so that they can nearly always know if anything is coming. Going back to the herd to mate also means that enemies will be less eager to attack-seeing as there are so many other humpback llamas there.
2.Licking their wounds
As scientists recently have proved in their research, a key to light wounds getting better is to apply a thin layer of saliva on top of it. The scientists first damaged some skin cells then placed them into two seperate dishes, one covered with saliva and the other dry. They found that the protein substance, called histatin, in the saliva has the potential to quicken the recovery rate by more than twenty percents of small cuts as well as having the ability to kill germs growing on the wound. This is probably why the humpback llama chooses to lick its cuts and scratches when it is hurt. Similar behaviour have been shown by animals such as the fox and jackal.
As the humpback llamas often travel from one place to another after they have finished the food located there, they will often experience a variety of environments- all of which has the potential to scrape their tender skin on their legs or neck- such as when they are trying to squeeze between two closly planted trees. Previous llamas don't have this practise, but the humpback llama who does lick their wounds will be in less pain (however small the cuts they are, they still hurt when the region near it moves) in less time. Their constant need to move and the environments they move through is the environmental pressure that caused this particular behavioural adaptation .
Physiological Adaptations
1. Larger lungs
The humpback llama has a set of lungs 50% larger than its ancestor, the llama. The lungs function by air entering through the nostrils, travelling down the tranchea (a.k.a. windpipe) then into the two seperate bronchial tubes (a.k.a.airways) which leads to the entrance of the lungs. Once inside, there are tinier tubes (a.k.a. alveoli) in which the oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream. Carbon dioxide is gushed out into the tubes and breathed out by the humpback llama.
The humpback llama needs a bigger set of lungs because the place it inhabitats will have a much higher attitude than before (see habitat section for thorough explanation), meaning that the oxygen particles are fewer and more spread out That is the environmental pressure.
A larger set of lungs will let the humpback llama consume more air, and in turn, breathing in enough oxygen particles for it to survive.
Humpback Llama
Introduction
The humpback llama (lama curvotergum) is the descendant of the llama in around thirty million years from now. Its latin name, lama curvotergum porropenis can be broken into two different parts, lama and curvotergum. While, lama is simply the genus name, curvo means curved and tergum means back. Put together, curvotergum means "curved back" as the humpback llama has grown a hump overtime to store water.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genus: Lama
Species: Curvotergum
Diagram
Habitat
The majority of the humpback llamas, much like its ancestor, the llama, still inhabit the Andes Mountain Range. However, the Andes Mountain Range ten million years from now is very different than it is today. Nowadays, the Andes Mountain Range is growing by an astoinishing 12-18mm each year due to the two tectonic plates forming it (especially the parts in Peru) slowly grinding into each other. By 10 002 010, the Andes Mountain Range is expected to grow thrice as tall as it is now. This means that near the top of the mountain, the weather is going to be very low- especially in the Winter! This is because the higher something is, the closer to the sky it is and the sky's temperature is measured in single number digits or can even be below zero depending on how far you go upwards.
There is not going to be as much vegetation up at the top of the mountain like there is now.This is why it is predicted that the humpback llama's population will see a slight decrease when compared to the llama's. However, it also means that there will be less predators- seeing neither the bears nor the coyotes can climb that high because they cannot simply cannot adapt to the low density of oxygen so far up.
The humpback llamas living on the bottom of the Andes Mountain Range is predicted that they will eventually join the ones living uphill because the temperature on ground level will increase significantly and because the predators, such as the coyotes and bears will have transformed into even stronger enemies.
So what about the llamas living in deserts, such as the Atacama Desert, already currently one of the driest places on earth? While the humpback llamas can still survive in modern times, partly because there is an oasis located near the local village of San Pedro ee Atacama, that water source would have dried up in ten millions time, when the world's average temperature is expected to raise by more than fifteen degrees. Instead, they would go to Chilean Coast Range, a set of mountains which run parallel to the Andes Mountain Range.
Structural Adaptation
1. Longer tail
The humpback llama has a tail which is approximately one metre in length, covered in short hairs and resemble one of those grown by leopards, except thicker. It is the same colour as the rest of the humpback llama's body is and there is no hair on the end of the tail like there is on a llama's tail.The humpback llama will use its tail for balancing. For example, when a humpback llama twists its neck to look to the right, the tail will automatically swing to the left. This counter motion helps the humpback llama stay in one position. Likewise, if the humpback llama is sprinting away from an enemy and decides to quickly turn a corner, the tail will shift the centre of gravity and work as a counter-weight, stopping the humpback llama from falling over.
The environmental pressure that has caused this change in a humpback llama's body is the environment it lives in. Since humpback llamas still visit the mountains from time to time and all humpback llamas have a chance at getting chased by its predators, everyone of them needs an excellent sense of balance- or else they would, quite literally, fall to their deaths or get injured then get pounced on by their enemies.
2. Hump
The humpback llama, true to its name, has a single hump growing from its back. The hump measures around fifty centimetres starting from the body and has a circumfrance of around one and a half metres. Contrary to popular belief, humps are not, in fact, filled with water but with body fat. The hump that grows on the humpback llama's back is extremely similar to one of those that the camels have except a bit smallar, as the humpback llama's body on average is much shorter than a normal camel. Humps are needed when the animal is starving, the fat inside being broken down and used, working as sort of a back-up or emergency food kit for the humpback llama while it tries its best to find fresh things that is consumable. The hump will not make the humpback llama balance any worse, as generations of camels have had this hump for thousands of years and can walk on rocky terrain.
A environmental pressure which forced wild humpback llamas to grow humps is the fact that vegetation on the Andes and other mountain ranges in which the humpback llamas soley depend on becomes very scarce due to droughts once every few months. As the temperature rises, due to global warming, scientists predict that more and more droughts will happen which will also, last a longer period of time. In order to survive, the humpback llama eventually learnt to store up on its food while it still has the chance.
Behavioural Adaptations
1. Faster mating speed
The humpback llama only mates for a maximum of five minutes each session and they often copulate for four to five times a day, rather unlike how llamas mate once but for a time period lasting from twenty to fourty-five minutes. Copulating this many times a day means that the chance of the female humpback llama, known as the kush, getting pregnant is just as large. However, it also means that they are less vulnerable to attacks as they do it in such short periods. Also, the kush does not lie down on her back like llamas do, instead, it simply sits down on its legs and lifts its rear up. This way, if predators do come, the kush could run away in time. The humpback llama also mates within the herd territory, as leaving it like the llama did when they want to mate is unwise as the other llamas would not be able to look out for them.
The environmental pressure is obvious. The level of alertness of an animal's surrounding when they are mating is low, therefore it is best if they mate in short periods so that they can nearly always know if anything is coming. Going back to the herd to mate also means that enemies will be less eager to attack-seeing as there are so many other humpback llamas there.
2.Licking their wounds
As scientists recently have proved in their research, a key to light wounds getting better is to apply a thin layer of saliva on top of it. The scientists first damaged some skin cells then placed them into two seperate dishes, one covered with saliva and the other dry. They found that the protein substance, called histatin, in the saliva has the potential to quicken the recovery rate by more than twenty percents of small cuts as well as having the ability to kill germs growing on the wound. This is probably why the humpback llama chooses to lick its cuts and scratches when it is hurt. Similar behaviour have been shown by animals such as the fox and jackal.
As the humpback llamas often travel from one place to another after they have finished the food located there, they will often experience a variety of environments- all of which has the potential to scrape their tender skin on their legs or neck- such as when they are trying to squeeze between two closly planted trees. Previous llamas don't have this practise, but the humpback llama who does lick their wounds will be in less pain (however small the cuts they are, they still hurt when the region near it moves) in less time. Their constant need to move and the environments they move through is the environmental pressure that caused this particular behavioural adaptation .
Physiological Adaptations
1. Larger lungs
The humpback llama has a set of lungs 50% larger than its ancestor, the llama. The lungs function by air entering through the nostrils, travelling down the tranchea (a.k.a. windpipe) then into the two seperate bronchial tubes (a.k.a.airways) which leads to the entrance of the lungs. Once inside, there are tinier tubes (a.k.a. alveoli) in which the oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream. Carbon dioxide is gushed out into the tubes and breathed out by the humpback llama.
The humpback llama needs a bigger set of lungs because the place it inhabitats will have a much higher attitude than before (see habitat section for thorough explanation), meaning that the oxygen particles are fewer and more spread out That is the environmental pressure.
A larger set of lungs will let the humpback llama consume more air, and in turn, breathing in enough oxygen particles for it to survive.
Bibliography